Charon's Ledger
by jlvanarsdall
Summary: This is a tale set in the Mass Effect universe, set shortly after the First Contact War/Relay 314 Incident. It follows the story of Victorie Morgan, an interstellar pirate and smuggler and her crew on their rise to notoriety.
1. Episode I

"Excuse me?" Victorie Morgan said from the rear of the Citadel Security shuttle, leaning forward to keep the cuffs around her wrist from tightening. When her request for attention elicited no response, she cleared her throat and leaned forward further.

"Excuse me." She said, her tone becoming more of a statement than a question as she abandoned the idea of requesting attention, and opting instead to demand it. Her escort, however, remained silent. She huffed a single time, blowing her bangs away from her eyes. The possibility of a sound proof rear seat occurred to her, and she sighed, rocking her body back and lifting her legs to her chest and crashing them against the partition that separated her from the officers who were taking her to headquarters to detain and possibly interrogate her. The shuttle suddenly swerved to the left in alarm, and suddenly the partition slid aside, allowing a rather angry-looking Turian to lean through the gap with a pistol brandished in her direction. "What the hell are you doing back here?" He asked, the alarm audible in his voice as his partner regained control of the vehicle. The powerful kick had caused Victorie's hair to fall back into her face, hiding her inquisitive gaze from his perusal. _He's a rookie. Fresh from the academy, probably, and his partner not much more seasoned. They scare too easy, they aren't used to the hardened criminals. They got the APB and didn't think to even run my name through the registry, probably. Honestly, I'm insulted. _Victorie thought, rolling her eyes beneath the shade of her chestnut-brown bangs. She fought back the urge to kick the gun from the officer's hands, and focused, her brown eyes darting around as she took in as much information as possible before they got exasperated and sealed the compartment again.

"Thank god I finally got your attention. I've been screaming back here for hours." She said, her voice pleading as she peeked out of the driver's window, spying the tell tale blue-and-orange of a C-Sec shuttle flying in close proximity to the vehicle she was in. _That's Dox. _She thought, mentally reassured with the knowledge that her old friend was near. The two of them had somehow gotten out of more trouble than they'd got into over the years; it was almost as though their luck increased tenfold when the other was near. However, this time they had put themselves in a serious predicament-criminals never walked out of C-Sec Headquarters without cuffs on. "You've only been back there for twenty minutes." The pistol-wielding Turian said, exasperation audible in his tone. To his credit, he didn't lower the weapon. "Twenty minutes? It feels like forever! Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you guys would let me see outside. Hell, I'll even shut up if you open a window. Please? I've always wanted to see the Citadel." She pleaded, utilizing the reflective surfaces of the monitors and assorted metals to read the nametags of her escorts. Quickly, she decided that she didn't feel like actually remembering their names and settled instead on calling the one pointing a gun at her 'Angry', and the driver 'Jumpy'. "Maybe if you weren't a second-class citizen, I'd slide a window open for you." Angry said, his lips curling in the Turian representation of a smirk. She knew that look anywhere; Dox wore it often. Rather than swallow her pride, like any logical, god-fearing human should, Victorie blew up.

"Oh, this must be the "Turian honor" I hear so much about. You look a little too eager to use that pistol, Clacker-you troubled by a past experience? Yeah, you've got that look in your eyes. You lost a lot of friends in the First Contact, didn't you? Now you see this defenseless human female, and vengeance floods back doesn't it? You want to shoot me, and not because I was being anything more than alive. Explain how that makes you better than me, and I'll shut up right here and now. Or if you want to prove superiority in a simpler manner, stop the shuttle, uncuff me and I promise I'll tear you apart. The choice is yours, facepaint: A or B." She sneered, glaring daggers at the green-eyed Turian. He seemed taken aback by her fury, but as she continued, his face hardened, and the hand he held the pistol with began to shake. She watched his finger slip inside the trigger guard of the pistol, and his mandibles flared with scarcely contained rage. "My mother and father died in the Relay 314 Incident. You actually are witnessing Turian Honor in the fact that I'm obeying orders not to smear your brains all over the cruiser's back window. Seal it. Seal it, before I end up sitting in the back of a shuttle in cuffs for murder." Angry said, holstering his weapon with visible force of will. The partition sealed and Victorie returned to her semi-comfortable position. Satisfied, she ran her right thumb over her left wrist to reassure herself. Before she knew it, she could feel the shuttle decelerating as it coasted into dock. She could hear the pneumatic hiss of the front doors opening, and she straightened her back in response. The back door opened, and she found herself looking directly at Angry, swallowing when she came face to face with his imposing height. He stood at least a foot and a half taller than she was, and the fury he'd previously wore was replaced with a veneer of calm mischief. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to remain calm." He said coyly, his mandible's twitching, and his lips parting in a pantomime of a smile. "Wha-" She started to ask, but quickly found a powerful grip on her shoulder, yanking her from the shuttle and dropping her unceremoniously to the ground. Without hands to catch herself, she crashed chin-first onto the polished floor. Rather than look up and risk antagonizing the Turian further, she just closed her eyes and distanced herself from the pain, doing her best to ignore her throbbing face. "You'll have to be more careful coming out of the cruisers. People slip all the time." He said, the smile still evident in his tone. _I swear to god, I better not find him on my way out of here. _Victorie thought as he waited for her to get to her feet. When she reached her knees, he wrapped a hand around the handcuffs to yank her to her feet. She grimaced as she rose, but quickly wiped the pained expression off of her face.

She refused to let him see her suffer.

"Thanks for the help," She breathed, turning her head to smile at him, "it would have been difficult to get up on my own." His mandibles twitched in confusion, but he simply smirked and gripped her shoulder to lead her inside. Before she was roughly turned about, she caught a glimpse of Dox being escorted out of another cruiser, receiving a considerably better reception. _She always gets the easy parts. _Victorie thought, inwardly scoffing. She trudged forward, compliant but reluctant as she was led into the station. Receiving was a nightmare for the woman, as they stripped her, decontaminated her and issued her standard prisoner attire.

_MEANWHILE, IN A SEEDY BAR OF THE LOWER WARDS..._

"This better work-I'm not losing Cap." Said Rezran Ilkos, his voice as raspy and reptilian as any seasoned Drell. He lifted the glass of human whiskey he'd ordered to his lips and took another long swig. Any seasoned member of _Charon's Ledger_ knew that while the humanoid was a raging alcoholic, they couldn't have a better pilot. Somehow, he always managed to "sober up" before any truly tasking maneuvers. The humans of the ship were under the belief that the entire Drell race had power over their sobriety thanks to the capers of the man-like lizard. He, however, knew the truth-he was nearly always drunk, especially behind the helm. "Calm yourself. There aren't many certainties in the world, but there is one: Victorie always finishes the job." Wraze said, knocking back another shot of Ryncol. The Krogan was a natural skeptic, and believed in very little aside from his strength and his accuracy, but after witnessing the puny human captain uncanny luck, he'd added her to his list of things that were definite. "I don't appreciate your lack of faith, Zero. Why is it you never trust me?" Asked Hyo'run vas Idenna, the ship's resident communications specialist. He didn't even bother looking up from his omnitool, zipping through C-Sec security feeds with the same ease of reading a magazine. He alone among the small team wasn't drinking, as it wasn't an easy feat for a Quarian. His environmental suit was sealed against the world, and the introduction of a straw or bottle wasn't something that was simply done. Alcohol consumption for him was a rare event, and usually only reserved for special occasions. While this was one, it was one that required his focus, not joyful stupidity. The crew of _Charon's Ledger _were currently doing something absolutely unheard of. "They're in. Eliri's cell is the only one of two that has vacancy. Either Dox or Cap is getting in there. Once she's there, though, it's all up to her. Keelah se'lai, boss...we're counting on you here." Hyor'un whispered, raising his hand to pantomime a toast. Zero and Wraze nodded and raised their own glasses, clinking them together before each finishing their cups.

_BACK TO OUR HEROINES..._

Victorie was silent as she walked down the corridors of the temporary holding cells. Some of the less sane prisoners jeered at her as she walked by, but she simply stared ahead and hid her smirk from view behind layers of chocolate hair. Everything was going perfectly according to plan, as long as Hyo'run was accurate in his intel-which he always was. The Quarian had a gift when it came to computers-he could practically talk to systems that didn't even have a Virtual Intelligence attached to it. Playing her role to the tee, she even gasped when the door slid open and Angry tossed her roughly inside, letting her depend on her own arms to save her from the floor. Knowing she still had to keep up false impressions, she let her chin collide with the floor again, and heard Angry snickering as he shut the cell and walked away. With what little dignity she could muster after her entrance, Victorie pushed herself up to her knees and dusted off her loose fitting clothes before at last looking up to find her cell mate sitting on the bed, hands clasped in between her knees. "Don't tell me my sisters sent _you_." The Asari said after looking up to examine the intruder on her solitude. "I expected something a little...rougher." She continued, sneering as she stood up. Victorie got to her feet in a disgruntled huff, barely stopping herself from unloading her full compliment of curse words and Asari slurs at the offense. Then, she smiled and crossed her arms. "You doubt my abilities? Good. That just means you're way more likely to sing my praises to all of your friends and contacts when I get you out of here. If I get put on a job, I get it done. My name is Victorie Morgan, and I'll be escorting you out of prison today." The slight human said, crossing her arms and beaming a confident smirk. Eliri, however, was unimpressed. "Cool one liner. You humans really do watch the vids too much. Just remember, this isn't an action flick. You are not a hero. You are a criminal. Cut the heroic pose and tell me your great plan." Eliri said, unimpressed. She gestured to the bed, and Victorie followed, inwardly fuming at the chastising remarks. _You would think she'd be a little more grateful, what with us saving her life. _She thought as she unraveled her plan for the Asari to hear.

The crew of _Charon's Ledger _was performing a prison break.


	2. Episode II

The plan had been explained, in excruciating detail, until Eliri herself knew the ins and outs to her satisfaction. "This is off the wall, even for a pirate. What makes you think the Volus will handle his end of the bargain?" The Asari asked, still not having budged from her seat on the cell's cot. From the floor, Victorie responded the only way she knew how when doubted: rudely. "I would've thought the great Asari queenpin would know enough about Volus to know their singular motivation: profit. The team has been paid extremely well, so they will do as they're told. It's that simple." The human replied, not bothering to look up at her objective. Eliri scoffed and smirked, easing herself into a more comfortable position by leaning back against the wall. "Oh, I didn't know I had the pleasure of speaking to someone so well versed in universal affairs. I won't question your infinitely wise decisions any more." The blue skinned humanoid responded. Victorie rolled her eyes a single time and tapped her left wrist twice, looking at it expectantly. Slowly, her skin lit up in the digital representation of a stopwatch, ticking down the seconds to an unknown moment of seeming importance. "Two hours." She said simply, standing to crawl into the top bunk. "You might want to get some rest, sugar-we'll be moving fast." The fair skinned woman said as she pulled the paper thin blanket over her frame. Eliri smirked in response and shook her head, rolling over and doing the same.

Victorie awoke to an uncomfortable heat on her wrist, and she tapped the appendage a total of four times in rapid succession. She rolled out of the bunk, landing lightly on her feet and gently shook Eliri awake. "Rise and shine. Time to watch me work." Victorie muttered, her face calm and determined. In the calm of the prison cell, Eliri began to shake her foot impatiently, when suddenly the door to the cell slid open. A Turian in prison garb slipped into the cell wordlessly, tossing a small object to the cell's human occupant. "No offense meant, Cap, but humans are easy." Dox said smugly as her counterpart slid the omni-tool over her hand and hard reformatted it, wiping all previously stored settings and allowing her to remake it as her own. The holographic display lit up for the initial settings, and her hand flew over it, setting up the barebones requirements she'd need. "Alarms?" She asked Dox, furrowing her brow in concentration. "None." Dox replied just as curtly, examining the pistol she'd commandeered. She sighed in exasperation as she looked down the sights, not approving of the weapon. "Problem?" Victorie asked as she finished rewiring the omni-tool.

"Just not to my liking."

"Whatever happened to 'I am a Turian master-at-arms. Any weapon is my weapon, a tool that is a means to my end. I demand, and it obeys.'?" Victorie asked smugly.

"My point exactly. This is hardly a weapon." Dox replied, her mandibles flexing in a Turian scowl.

"Will it do?"

"It'll do."

"Ladies, if we're done bantering, I'd really like a hot shower and some normal clothes." Eliri said, scowling from the bed.

"Has she been like this the whole time?"

"Nah, honestly I think the great Eliri has a softspot for me." Victorie replied, flattening herself against one side of the door, Dox moving to do the same. "What? You gonna replace me, Cap?"

"Only if you die, Dox. Let's go."

The door slid open and Victorie was immediately in the hallway, her hand level with her shoulder as she stalked through the compound, Eliri directly behind her and Dox bringing up the rear. They made good time moving through the hallways, never bothering to stop to check for guards. Once at their intended destination, Victorie came to a halt with her and Dox stacking on the door like they had before leaving the cell. Victorie slid her thumb across her left wrist from bottom to top and waited a few moments. The patch on her arm that had displayed the clock began to heat up, once in the center and again in the corner closest to her elbow. She looked at Dox and held up two fingers. Dox nodded and used her own fingers to make a rectangle. Victorie pointed at the center and the bottom left corner, passing the information to her second. Dox made a hooking motion, and Victorie nodded, centering herself on the door, but moving far enough back so that she could get a running start. Spying a nearby camera, she looked at it and held up three fingers, before beginning to count them down. When her final finger dropped, the door slid open and the lights in the room began to strobe. The moment the doors opened, Victorie took off in a sprint, sliding as she entered the room. She heard the unmistakable sound of two pistols sliding into operation mode, but before they'd completed the motion, she was in front of the center enemy, her omni-tool launching fabricated nodes into the unprotected throat of her target. She squeezed her fist and the tool diverted enough power into the nodes to knock the Turian officer unconscious. Even as she did so, she heard a scuffle and turned to watch Dox as she wrapped the other officer's throat, cutting off the blood to his brain. In mere moments, the Asari guard was unconscious on the floor and the lights were back to normal. With the expedience only practice could provide, Victorie and Dox stripped and detained the officers with their own cuffs, and began clothing themselves in the uniforms.

Minutes later, the two stood in full Citadel Security garb, with Dox and Eliri rewriting the two new confiscated omni-tools. Eliri's fingers flew with an alacrity that surprised both of the pirates, quickly setting up her own key features. She brought her arm up across her shoulder,the motion cuing the omni-tool to flash-fabricate four inches of razor sharp silicon-carbide to shoot from the bottom of her tool. Satisfied, she retracted the weapon and brought both of her hands together in the center of her body in one fluid motion. The loud crackle and hum of arcing electricity filled the hallway as a glowing two foot blade materialized, electricity arcing over it as she brandished the omni-tool like a sword. This blade vanished in a moment as well, and Victorie's eyebrows raised in respect. "Well, that was quick." She said, taken aback. "I've owned an omni-tool longer than you've been alive. I know a few tricks." The Asari said calmly, not bothering to take one of the downed guard's weapons. Dox snickered, receiving a playful glare from her captain, who then turned to another nearby camera and gave it a thumbs up.

In an instant, the power in the prison went offline, darkening the entire compound. Almost immediately, a voice came aloud over Victorie's omni-tool. "All is going according to plan, boss. I took the liberty of opening cell doors on the other side of the prison to create a little distraction for you. With all the security officers being ordered to detain escapees, you should have a clear route to the rec area in back. Floor plan is headed to you now, but be advised: you've only got about five minutes until auxiliary kicks in. Keelah se'lai, Cap, and good luck." Spoke Hyo'run vas Idenna, his voice sounding even more robotic over the audio stream. The plan dictated that the ground team would be maintaining radio silence, so Victorie didn't utter a word as a three dimensional holographic map of the cell area floated above her omni-tool. She didn't look for long before closing the map and taking point on the trek towards the open recreation area in the back of the prison. The small trip was thankfully as dark as it was quiet, and the trio reached their destination without incident. Without power, the sealed doors were designed to open with a mild amount of force. Dox moved without a word, pulling the portal apart and dipping through with her pilfered pistol at the ready. "Clear." She said firmly as the Victorie and Eliri came through after her. An unmarked delivery shuttle dipped into the yard at a dangerous angle, slowing as it approached. The doors slid open while the shuttle was still in motion, and Victorie was already hopping in before the driver ground the craft to a swaying hover. She clambered easily into the passenger seat, the other two escapees following into the back. "Oh captain, my captain." The drell pilot said as he thumbed the door closed and hammered on the throttle, causing the shuttle to lurch forward. "Always a pleasure, Zero. Uniforms?"

"Door panels. Should be sized well."

Victorie nodded her reply and reached into the disguised cargo panel, tossing two delivery service uniforms to the two women in the back of the speeding vehicle. "What, here?" Eliri asked, skepticism etched on her face as she caught the dark brown fabric. Dox and Victorie were already halfway out of their black and blue C-Sec garb, and Dox's mandibles twitched in response to the question. "Tick tock, Ellie. Time is kinda short." Victorie said, not skipping a beat in her expedient wardrobe switch. "But of course, _Vic_." Eliri retorted, the nickname dripping with venom. Dox snickered again, inciting another look of death from her captain through the rear view mirror. "What, Cap? It suits you." The Turian replied as she pulled the cap onto her head, adding the final touch to her attire. "Insubordinate, childish..." Victorie grumbled, her list growing continuously less audible as she grumpily finished putting on her clothes.

The shuttle slid gently to a stop outside of an industrial warehouse, and the three females climbed out, finding a team of two Turians and a Volus waiting for them on the dock. "Hello, earth-clan. I assume you're Lady Morgan?" The Volus said simply, gesturing for the trinity to follow. Once inside, he dismissed his guard and led them deeper into the warehouse. "The packages you asked for are just inside this room. Three shielded crates, labeled on my manifest as 'unstable materials unsuitable for scanning'. One of my agents in Customs will be 'examining' the crates, and sending them through. You won't notice a thing until we arrive on Illium. The crew of the _Karla_, save myself, will have no knowledge of you being on the ship. I assume one of your own will be waiting to receive you on the planet?" The small alien said, wringing his hands as he spoke. "Illium?" Eliri exclaimed, her eyes narrowing into a glare. The air seemed to ripple around her, and a faint blue glow wrapped itself around her hand, the color deepening in hue as her implants gathered power. "I can't go to Illium. Anywhere but there." She finished, eyeing the doors of the warehouse as if looking for an escape. "Look, Eliri," Victorie began, noticing the Asari's intent, "I understand you probably have family on Illium-a mother, a few sisters, maybe an ex-lover or something, but it's our best chance of getting you back to Eclipse. No one will look twice at a merchant ship on path from the Citadel to Illium. We won't even be setting foot on the rock, anyhow. We'll be delivered, in boxes, to my ship. From there, we can take you anywhere you'd like, but first we have to get you off the Citadel. Please." She spoke, and her eyes darted to Dox, who imperceptibly shifted her weight. If Eliri attempted to make a break, it would be Dox's job to detain her while either Victorie or the Volus took the brunt of her impending biotic assault. "Please," She repeated, "just get in the box."

The aura around Eliri's right hand intensified for a moment, but she let her hand fall and stood up. She cleared her throat and pulled her uniform down, too prideful to admit her moment of panic. Wordlessly, she opened one of the crate lids and crawled in. Before thumbing the installed button that would open the hardened aluminum crate, she took one final look at Victorie. "Illium, then. If anything goes awry, you'll be hunted to the ends of the galaxy. Eclipse will come, and Eclipse will have vengeance. That is a promise, human." She threatened, the box sliding shut after her last word. "Charming." Dox said, her mandibles opening in incredulity. "Yeah, I think we've made a lifelong friend." Victorie added, shaking her head as she crawled into her own box. "You heard the lady, Bor Pelta. Wrath of the Eclipse, ends of the universe, so on and so forth. Watching you, Vol-Clan." Victorie said, pointing her index and middle fingers at her eyes and then at the Volus as the box lid covered her as it did Eliri. The Volus looked expectantly at Dox, who shrugged in response. "Nah, I got nothin'. Good night." She said dismissively as she locked herself away in the container.

Aboard the Turian Frigate christened _Charon's Ledger_, every eye looked towards the Drell as he stepped on board. He was officially the last one to have seen their captain, and only he knew the state the trio was in. They all watched, silently expectant as he wordlessly walked the passage ways, taking his seat at the helm. "Well, Zero? How is she?" Hyo'run said, speaking for the whole crew. "Dead. Dox killed her with a spoon in prison. Being in the system really got to her, she's all institutionalized. I barely got out of there alive." Zero deadpanned, lifting a single eyebrow at Hyo'run. Though he couldn't see the Quarian's face, the way he crossed his arms and shifted his weight clearly denoted how displeased he was at the joke. The Drell chortled and turned to the holographic controls, prepping their ship for departure. "How do you think she's doing? Has there ever been a job she hasn't weaseled her way out of? Citadel Control, this is _Ghost of Shanxi_, requesting departure." He said, crisply, having spoken the tower-ship banter of docking and departing the Citadel so many times that it was second nature to him. He, of course, used one of the many fake names that had been crafted for the ship upon it's christening for official matters, but that was second-nature to him as well. The procedure went off without a hitch, and the ship beelined for the in-system mass relay, guided by the steady hands of the veteran helmsman. They approached, and with a growing hum of the drive core, they jumped across the galaxy. They were Illium bound, off to rescue their captain from her rescue.

The trip from the warehouse to the ship was bumpy, but uneventful, and the trio made it safely onto the Volus' transport ship, being carried silently into the cargo bay. The doors slid shut and Eliri's crate slid open almost immediately. Victorie's followed soon after, and she sat up scowling. "What are you doing?" She hissed at the Asari, ensuring she kept her voice at a low volume. "No one checks on cargo in between take-off and docking. We have time to catch our breath, stretch out a little bit. What's the worst that could happen?" Eliri asked with a shrug. Victorie lifted a finger to retort, but before she could say a word, the freighter shuddered, and alarm klaxons started to blare over the ship's intercommunication system. "That. That's the worst that could happen." The human woman said darkly, pointing her raised finger toward the direction of the nearest speaker. Dox was out of her crate before it had finished opening, frantic eyes scanning the room. Once she'd located the entrance to the cargo bay, she rolled out of the container and scrambled across the floor. A knife materialized in her three-fingered hand so quickly it seemed to have spawned from nothing. She flattened against the wall and held the knife near her hip, staring at the door as if it contained the answer to life itself. Victorie and Eliri stared in awe at the lightning-quick reflexes of their Turian comrade. "Where the hell did the-" Victorie began to ask, before she was cut off by Dox lifting her central finger. She gathered her fingers together and spread them out, giving the practiced 'disperse and hide' hand symbol of the _Charon's Ledger_ crew. Victorie's mouth shut so quickly that the click of her teeth was audible. She crept behind her crate and bid Eliri to do the same. Not a moment after they'd slid into cover, the door slid open, and a single silhouette stood in the doorway. "Single, low!" Victorie shouted, watching from her vantage point, and Dox moved like liquid lightning. The Turian sprang into a tackle, bowling over their small intruder. "Wait!" a voice screamed, followed by frantic breathing through a respirator. The knife gleamed in the low artificial light of the cargo hold, held aloft as Dox realized whose life she had nearly ended. "Pelta?" She asked incredulously, standing before helping the Volus to his feet. To his credit, the scared Volus only took a moment to regain his composure. "Yes, it's me. There's a bit of a...snag in your itinerary." He said, wringing his hands again. _This Volus is altogether too nervous for my liking. Something he's not telling us is going on here._ Victorie thought, crossing her arms as she partly wished Dox had simply slit the tiny being's methane tubes, letting him choke to death. "Snag?" Eliri asked, shifting as she had in the warehouse. "Yes...snag. We've been boarded. By pirates." Bor Pelta continued, his hands endlessly wringing as he explained. "We didn't hear a single shot fired. No shield flare, no sudden g-force from evasive maneuvers. What, did you just invite them aboard?" Victorie asked, stepping closer to their transporter. The Volus kept his fragile calm, finally tearing his hands away from each other. "They hit us with an EMP as soon as we dropped out of mass travel. That was the sudden shake you felt. As soon as auxiliary power came on, I came to alert you, and to ask you a favor. The crew I have on hand is not numerous, nor are they particularly well trained. If they had the help of an ex-Spectre candidate, a biotic commando, and a former N5 Alliance Marine, they might have a chance at repelling the boarders. There are weapons in that locked box over on the starboard side. The code is 3541." Bor said, pointing at the box he'd mentioned. "Should you succeed, I'll consider it a personal favor to me. Fifteen percent will be knocked off of your final fee, and that discount will qualify for any future deals we make. I'll also put in a good word to my contact at the black market, leading to a discount through him, as I move most of his product. I wish you well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lock myself in one of your boxes." He finished, walking slowly towards the nearest box and rolling into it. Once the lid sealed shut, the three women looked at each other, some just now learning what the others had been before a life of crime drew them together. "Spectre candidate, Dox? You just said you were in the military." Victorie said, shaking her head as she unlocked the box the Volus had mentioned. "I didn't get very far, honestly. Mostly because I was killed in action about two missions in." Dox said, her mandibles twitching in dismissal. Victorie scoffed and pulled the door open, exposing the arsenal that lay inside. "Wow. Whoever his black market contact is, I definitely want to be on their side." Victorie said, her jaw dropping open. Without missing a beat, Eliri slipped past her and laid hands on a shotgun from a weapon rack near the back. "Single-use mag strips over here." Dox called out, placing one on her thigh and holding another over her shoulder. "Diagonal, right to left." Dox said, and Victorie stepped to her back, activating the adhesive. The strip flash adhered to Dox's delivery clothing. Dox turned and activated an identically placed strip on Victorie's back. Wordlessly, she activated another strip in the small of her back. Dox reached past her, grabbing two assault rifles. She passed one to her captain and placed the other across her back. "Knives, here, if one of you is interested." Eliri said, placing a strip at the small of her back. Victorie eagerly grabbed two, placing them both at the small of her back. Another strip later, and a pistol was on her hip. "Well, ladies?" Dox said, pulling the assault rifle off of her back and jamming the stock into her shoulder. "Shall we?"

Resolutely, the three women headed to the cargo bay door and poured into the hallway, Dox in the lead and Eliri holding the rear. It was time to take back the _Karla_.


	3. Episode III

Victorie led the file of freshly armed combatants into the dimly lit hallway, her pistol held in her right. In her left hand, she clutched one of her knives, holding it underneath her gun hand, her forearms touching. Eliri followed close behind, the nearly invisible shimmer around her frame showing that she had her biotic barriers in place. Dox exited the cargo hold last, backpedaling as she kept their rear flank guarded. They kept a steady pace, following the lit floorpath that would take them to the bridge. "Why exactly are we headed for the bridge? Wouldn't your average, run of the mill pirates be more interested in what's in the cargo hold?" Eliri whispered, the condesencion slipping through the question. "First off, Ellie, how many 'run-of-the-mill' pirates do you know that use EMPs? These are ship thieves, they aren't after the plunder. They're probably part of a fleet that's just getting started, trying to get more ships in their arsenal. The cargo can come later. Right now, it's more important that they get this ship out of here before some form of backup arrives." Victorie explained, the typical barb of bantering with Eliri audible. "Or, they're after passengers." Dox said unexpectedly, causing Victorie to come to a sudden halt. Her lips parted, as if she had something to say, but then she resolutely closed it. "Well, look at that. My girls went and hired an organization that can't even keep it's people in line. I thought it was strange that a captain was coming to do the job herself. You don't know who among your crew you can trust." Eliri scoffed, shaking her head as she continued to follow her human rescuer. "One, that's not important. We don't know for sure if that's what happened. Two, no matter what the case is, we only have one path out of here, and that's wading through blood. So I suggest you stop with the taunting, and focus. It's not just our lives hanging in the balance, here." Victorie said, but the barb was gone. In the back of her mind, she was wondering who would betray her, and why.

Dominus Pallin woke up in the infirmary of Citadel Security, his head throbbing. He placed a three-fingered hand on his head and sat up slowly. "What happened?" He asked the room, not knowing whether or not anyonewould be standing there. His head swam, and he blinked his eyes, trying to get accustomed to the low light of the false twilight of the Citadel. "Doctor, he's awake." A nurse said excitedly, and Dominus heard a door slide open on the other side of the room. He looked over, and found that the sound was of the nnurse leaving, not of the doctor entering. The Turian shook his head to clear it, and tried to think about what had led up to his hospitalization. His mandibles jerked involuntarily as the events of the prison riot rushed back to his memory. He rolled out of the hospital bed in a flash, pulling electrodes off of his skin. As soon as he exited the holographic bounds his bed, an alarm began to sound. "Patient 34 has exited his bed." A VI spoke, and Dominus glared at the nearest speaker, ripping off the last electrode in defiance. The door slid open and the doctor entered, nurse in tow. "Officer Pallin, you need to be back inside of your bed. We don't know whether you've recovered fully." The doctor said, attempting to reassure the raging Turian. "What happened to the others?" Dominus asked as he advanced on the Asari, mandibles twitching in rage. "Most of your fellow officers are alive. Some are recovering in the ICU, others are receiving standard care for minor injuries, such as yourself. Four officers died in the riot." The doctor answered, pausing before delivering the news of the dead.

"Who." Dominus sasked, his eyes narrowing.

"Two humans, Perin and Aurelia." The doctor said slowly, dismissing the two humans as unimportant due to Dominus' Turian heritage. "Who were the humans, Doc?" Dominus asked just as slowly, his right hand balling into a fist. The doctor's mandibles twitched a single time in incredulity, and he brought up an omni tool to check the names. "Joseph Hargrave and Amelia Roberts." The doctor said, looking up to find a three-fingered hand reaching for his throat. Dominus' hand found it's target, and he gripped tightly as he pulled the doctor in close. "I'm sure you tried your hardest, doctor." Dominus spat, his rage leaking into his words. He hadn't known Amelia very well, but Joseph was well known to him. He had shared many a drunken night in Chora's Den with the man, and considered him a friend. Tired from his ordeal, Dominus dropped the Turian doctor and stormed from the room. "Mail me the release form." He said dismissively, walking out of the infirmary still clad in hospital gowns. He had more important things than clothes to worry about at the moment.

Shocked eyes followed the form of the nearly naked Turian as he trekked through Citadel Security's hallways. Dominus, however, didn't pay them a node of attention, not meeting a single glance as he hailed a taxi for the embassy suites. He paid his fare with his omni tool and stepped out, continuing his single-minded journey. Soon afterward, he stood outside the Executor's office. He paused to take a deep breath and activated the door, stepping inside. "Executor," Dominus began, cementing his focus as the Executor looked up from his desk. "Pallin?" The Turian said incredulously, standing up. "Why are you-" he began, but Dominus cut him off quickly. "With all due respect, sir, what the hell happened down there? Who dropped the ball?" Dominus asked, his mouth clenched in resolution. The Executor sighed and sat back down, folding his hands underneath his chin. "It was a prison break. Have you seen the reports? No? Well, let me explain. A few hours before the power went out, we picked up a human and a Turian, both female, basically reliving the Relay 314 incident. So, we ran their ID's. Showed up clean, no prior offenses, so we treated them like any two quarreling drunks: we brought them in, put them in different cells, and just figured we'd let them cool off for a day. That's when everything went to shit. The power went out, and all the doors opened in the northern sector of the jail. Eventually, we got the riot under control; four dead, twelve wounded, sixteen casualties over all. When everything was said and done, all the prisoners were accounted for but three: the two drunks and Eliri Ma'riyah, the Eclipse queenpin were missing. On a hunch, I ran the barfighters through facial recognition, and found out who they really were. Victorie Morgan is the human. Our database has her listed as the owner and operator of a Turian Frigate on the record as The_Ghost of Shanxi_. This is the part that scares me: I ran the Turian through, and came up with nothing. She has no identity. No name, no family, not a trace. There was nothing you could have done better, Pallin. Their plan depended on catching us with our pants down, and they did." The Executor explained, the pain at losing members of his command apparent behind his eyes. It was evident to Dominus that the Turian took the successful prison break as a personal failure, and he felt awkward for bringing up the subject. "Now, Pallin...is there anything else you need?" The Executor queried, resettling his hands. "Just what you've found on them, and your leave to follow the case. I want to find these two, and bring them to justice for what they've done here." Dominus said, his calm belying his attire. "I can't do that, Dominus. You're a Citadel Security officer. Beyond the Citadel isn't our jurisdiction. The best I can do is give the info to the Council, and let them put a Spectre on it-something I've already done. It's out of your hands, Pallin; drop it." The Executor said, turning back to his desk. "Understood, sir. How much paid vacation do I have?" Dominus asked coolly, his face a wall of stone. The Executor's jaw flexed in the Turian representation of a smirk before he answered.

"I assume it's unrelated?"

"Completely, sir. Think I might go see the homeworld. Palaven beaches are gorgeous this time of year."

"You've got twelve weeks, Pallin."

"I want it all, sir. How long before I can expect an approval from administration?"

"Consider yourself checked out, Pallin. You could use some time off after that riot."

To all eyes and ears, it was a normal conversation allowing a decorated officer to take time off after a traumatic event, but a wordless conversation had passed between superior and subordinate. As Dominus turned to leave, he knew he would have some new files on his extranet terminal when he returned to his apartment in the Wards.

The hunt was on.

Victorie Morgan put her hand over her mouth and stifled a sneeze. _Well that came out of nowhere. _ She thought, shaking her head before continuing her steady movement. A fusillade of gunfire rang out from the port side of the ship, and Victorie immediately crouched, Dox and Eliri following suit. The single burst was given a reply and the telltale sound of a firefight soon overtook the otherwise quiet ship. "Where?" Victorie said, aiming her sights at the nearest hallway intersection. "Port side, mess hall." Dox replied, making an educated guess based on her experience with Volus ship layout. "Let's move." The human replied, standing again and doubling her pace. "What?" Eliri asked, taken aback by Victorie's reaction. "What happened to rushing the bridge and setting up an ambush?"

"We'll be more effective if we thin them out and gain a few crewmembers to help in the process."

"Yeah, or we'll die with them." Eliri scoffed.

"If we die dealing with whatever fraction of their boarding party they sent to mop up the crew, then we had no chance in the bridge anyway when they regrouped and came at us full strength. We fight here, with the crew. Either follow my orders or go hide in your box and wait to be sold to slavers. Your choice, Ellie." Victorie said, not breaking stride. Dox was facing forward now, though the trio stayed in a line formation. Eliri grumbled to herself inaudibly, but kept pace with the pirate captain, now holding her shotgun at the ready. Their journey through the tight passageways of the _Karla_ was short and quiet, save the sound of gunfire that had originally set them on their quicker pace. By the time they reached the mess hall, the sound of gunfire had died down to a few sporadic bursts coming from both sides as they struggled to keep their enemies pinned. "Back door?" Victorie asked as they crouched in the passage, looking at Dox. "Take that right, then your first left. Keep your head down or they'll see you through the windows. Follow that path, and you'll be behind them in no time." The Turian replied, looking at Eliri. "Well, Blue, looks like you get to join me for the fun part. You aren't Wraze, but you'll have to do." Dox said, mischief alight in her eyes. "What about Vic-" The Asari started to ask, turning to find that the woman had already departed. "No time for questions, Blue. Let's move." Dox said, standing and running to the aid of the _Karla_ members who were pinned down. Dox peeked out around a corner, quickly noticing a Batarian dragging a Turian back to cover. His omni-tool flashed and the labored breathing of the wounded warrior began to return to normal, the medi-gel taking quick effect. Knowing her position wasn't yet known to the invading pirates, she took the time to steady herself and aim at a table that had been flipped on it's side. She waited for what felt like an eternity, and an blue head popped up from behind the table, bringing a rifle to bear. Dox felt the recoil of the weapon more than she remembered pulling the trigger, but the purple spray and the flailing Asari let her know that she'd struck true. "Reinforcements!" One of the human crew members yelled, and Dox cringed. This simple word seemed to revive the battle, pirates poking their heads out and blind-firing in earnest, hoping to return the tip of the scales to their favor. As soon as the human had spoken, Dox whirled, bringing her self back into the hallway just in time for a cascade of mass driven rounds to rip the air where her head had been a moment before. "We need shock and awe, Blue." She said, watching as the meter depicting the heat of her weapon dropped steadily down to inert settings. "Say no more." Eliri said, smirking as the intrinsic ripple of her barriers intensified to a steady blue glow around her body. "Just keep me covered." She remarked through gritted teeth, and Dox nodded. She dropped into a crouch and popped out of cover again, unleashing a hail of rounds from her assault rifle. As she kneeled, Eliri raced around the corner, sprinting pell-mell for the counter the nearly routed crew members were taking refuge behind. Without breaking stride, she dove over the counter, tucking into a roll that brought her to the center of the room. With a cry of rage, she pushed her left hand out and a wave of force erupted from her, blowing the myriad of dining furniture away in an immense biotic shockwave. "Biotic!" One of the boarding pirates screamed in the moment before the table he was hiding behind smashed into him, lifting him up and backward until he met with a wall. A series of sickening crunches sounded throughout the large room as the slowest members of the raiding party met similar tragedies, either crushed by tables or hurled against walls with incredible force. Breathing heavily, Eliri maintained her kneel and Dox moved past her, rifle in one hand, pistol in the other. With the grace and efficiency of a machine of war, the Turian flowed over the room, dispatching any opposition that still drew breath. As Dox turned to give praise to her interim comrade, a roar filled her ears and she whirled to find a Krogan standing in the doorway on the other side of the room. The bellow stopped suddenly, and the Krogan toppled, dark orange fluid leaking over the floor where he had stood. Surprised, the Krogan rolled over and opened his maw again, only to have it snapped shut by a brutal blow from a fist. Before he could open it a third time, a hand pushed his head upward and a knife plunged into the soft skin beneath his mouth, burrowing a fatal path to his brain stem. His assailant twisted the blade, yanked it free, and sunk it in twice more, ensuring that the powerful biped was indeed dead. Dox lowered her rifle and stood straighter, easing out of her hunched combat stance. "Fancy meeting you here." She said with a smile and a nod.

As soon as she'd been instructed on the path to the rear of her enemy, Victorie was off like a greased lightning bolt, moving skillfully from shadow to shadow. She had stowed her pistol as she left, opting instead for the silence that only a blade could provide. She turned where Dox had told her to and hugged the wall, keeping her head below the window as she continued along. The sporadic popping of the firefight sounded beside her, but she blocked it out and pressed forward, listening for the sound of footsteps. "Varus, take Khar around back and flank them. They'll have no idea what hit them, and we can join Tharn on the bridge. This should be the last pocket, according to the message we recieved." Spoke a voice from down the hallway. From the timbre and tone, Victorie guessed Krogan and swore under her breath. She moved into a nearby doorway and made herself as small as possible, waiting for the two flanking pirates to cross her path. The footsteps grew closer, and the chestnut-maned woman put a white-knuckle grip to her knife. _First, take their ability to run._She thought as the Human and Batarian pirates walked by her. She exploded from her hiding place, running the razor-sharp blade across the hamstrings of the first. She spun toward the second, never leaving a crouch as she stripped him, too, of his hamstrings._Then, you take their voice._ Her thought process continued as she sprung upward, sending a fist into the Human's Adam's apple. She let the momentum from her earlier spin carry her, whirling to catch the falling Batarian, only to plunge her blade into his throat, severing his vocal chords. _And most importantly, don't get shot. _ She finished her internal dialogue, stepping on the human's rifle and pinning it to the ground as she sunk her knife to the hilt in the chest of the baffled man. He floundered for a little, but before long, his eyes glazed over and he slumped into death's embrace. Turning to her other target, she saw him scrambling to grab his displaced weapon, crimson pouring across his body as life seeped from his deadly throat wound. With all the ceremony of putting down a dying animal, Victorie pulled her second knife and flicked her wrist. To the naked eye, it seemed like one fluid motion, and the knife sailed through the air, making a single, lazy twirl before sinking into the Batarian's upper right eye socket. The path of soft tissue led straight to the brain, and the alien crumpled immediately. As she retrieved both of her knives, Victorie heard a man shout 'Reinforcements!' and knew Dox had joined the fray. Knowing she had no time to spare, Victorie stood and ran the length of the hallway. The noise of the renewed firefight covered the sound of her footsteps, and she rounded the corner as a man screamed, alerting his comrades to the presence of a biotic. A salarian and a human exited the mess hall, looking severely rattled. Not eager to spoil her cover, Victorie spun on her toe, diving back behind the corner she'd turned. She heard several spaced out gunshots, guessing Dox was mopping up survivors. "Useless." She heard the Krogan from before speak, followed by his lumbering footsteps as he walked toward the doorway. _There's no way Dox is in cover! I have to move fast or that Krogan will tear her to shreds!_ Victorie thought, steeling herself for a possible pain. She hooked around the corner again, knives at the ready and quickly took note of where the Salarian and Human pirates stood, watching the Krogan make his way toward the door. Her right arm blurred, and the knife twirled free from her grip, soaring through the air in a much tighter pattern than the one she had thrown at the Batarian. The blade bit into the chest of the Salarian, severing a vital artery, and Victorie was there as the insect-like being staggered from the impact. She pulled the weapon free and rolled, coming up underneath the human's gun. She popped up and slammed the knife into his throat, angling upward. She felt the edge grind on bone, and knew that she'd placed her blade perfectly between vertabrae, severing the man's spinal cord. She didn't bother to remove the knife, instead simply pushing the man to the side and sprinting into the room to a roaring Krogan. Repeating her previous maneuver with the flanking pirates, she slashed the Krogan's hamstrings, whirling as he toppled. By the time he rolled over, she was sailing through the air, diving on top of the Krogan with her fist outstretched. She caught him underneath the jaw and smirked with satisfaction as his head snapped upward. Before the reality of what was happening could dawn on the Krogan, Victorie buried her knife in the soft skin under his mouth, shoving the blade through the unprotected area. Knowing from experience that Krogan's didn't die easy, she stabbed him twice more, ensuring the Krogan would die before his inherent cell regeneration kicked in. She let out a deep breath, wiping the knife clean on the fallen alien's clothes before standing to look at Dox. "Fancy meeting you here." The Turian said before approaching her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

Inside the mess hall, six pirate bodies lay strewn about, their limbs bent in impossible ways from the force of Eliri's biotic onslaught. Victorie tallied the dead in her head, including the four she'd eliminated out in the hallway. "Ten down here, I'm guessing they sent another four to the bridge. One problem, though: that Krogan said that they'd received a message that stated the amount of people who would be on board. Who could have that information?" The brown-eyed woman asked, raising an eyebrow in concern.

"Pelta." Eliri said, virtually spitting the name out.

"We can deal with that assumption later. It could be a traitor in my crew, or it could be a group of pirates who closely monitors shipping manifests through an operative on the Citadel. Point is, we still have to take back control of the ship. So, you two, on me. You can catch your breath on the way up." Victorie said, returning both of her knives to the sheaths at the small of her back.

"Wait!" A voice spoke from the mass of _Karla_ crew members. Victorie turned, trying to pick out who's voice it was. A young looking Salarian stood, dusting himself off. "Let me come with you. I want off at your stop, I don't care where we're going." Victorie cocked her head at the alien and stepped toward him, as if examining merchandise. "We can't baby sit you on the way up." She said coldly, and the Salarian visibly swallowed.

"I can take care of myself."

"You said you wanted off this ship at Ilium. What use are you to me?"

"I'm a physician."

"What's a physician doing working a cargo freighter?"

"I wanted to see the galaxy. I haven't seen much except Ilium and the Citadel, though, and after this, staying on with the _Karla_ just isn't worth it."

"You do realize that coming with me would guarantee a whole lot more of this: a whole lot more blood. I'm a pirate. We see the galaxy, but it's normally through the sights of a gun. You sure you want this life?"

"Salarians die young anyway. I might as well see what I can before I go."

"Good answer, kid. What's your name?"

"Jarin."

"Not anymore. From now on, you're Doc. Welcome to the crew." Victorie said, shaking the Salarian's hand. "Saddle up if you're coming."

The three women and their new Salarian counterpart left the room without another word, following Dox's guidance to the bridge. A crisis had been averted, and lives had been saved, but the _Karla_ wasn't theirs yet.

There was much more work to be done.


	4. Episode IV

"Hyo'run," A voice spoke, the metallic tinge making it obvious that a Quarian was speaking, "have you seen this?" Asked Anya Kaliyah nar Iliya, the ship's resident mechanic. Her voice carried an urgent tone, and the comms specialist whirled from his terminal, curious to see what had her so spooked. "Seen what?" He asked, standing to get a better view at his fellow Quarian's outstretched terminal. "Someone sent a message over the extranet as we were leaving the Citadel. Normally, I wouldn't worry about it, but the sender didn't attach a name, and bounced it off of several terminals. Take a listen." Anya said, replaying the message. The speaker was clearly using a voice changer to mask their identity, but the sender's voice wasn't what was important. "She'll be leaving on a Volus freighter named the _Karla. _It's licensed to a Volus named Pelta. Attached crew manifests are accurate, except they don't include the target or her escort; a Human and a Turian, both female. I don't care about Pelta, his crew or the Turian, but I want the human alive. If she's too much of a hassle, I understand, but I'd like you to try. What you do with the target is your concern-the reward for her return and the bounty are both formidable enough that either way you go, you and your crew will be rich within hours of retrieval. Out."

Hyo'run tilted his head as the recording ended, now standing close enough to Anya that he could hear her respirators working with her rushed breathing. "That's disconcerting. You think we have a stow away?" He asked her, at last taking his eyes off the omni-tool. "I don't know, Hyo. That's why I brought this to your attention. Figured you would be able to strip the voice changer, trace the signal and find out who sent this. I already sent you the file." Anya said. Hyo'run nodded and turned back to his terminal, leaning over the holographic interface. "While I get to work on that, you should notify the crew we may have an unwanted guest." Anya nodded and turned to leave the room. As she moved to take a step, her knees buckled and she caught herself before she hit the ground. She knew the familiar feeling of her enviromental suit's built in anaesthetic, and her mind raced to find out what would trigger it. She looked down as her vision blurred, finding a hypodermic needle sticking out of her thigh. _When..?_ She thought, focusing on the syringe as the world around her became less and less defined. Anya tried to force down panic as her vision began to darken. With considerable effort, she looked up to find Hyo'run's helmet mere inches from her own. "I knew you'd be the only one to find it. I actually prayed you wouldn't, you know? To all the Human Gods worth mentioning; even Athame. Every notable being of every notable parthenon. I didn't want this, Anya. I was, of course, prepared for it, but I hoped it wouldn't come to this. You're experiencing Anaphylactic shock, Eal'Xaub. I'm so sorry-to be honest, I'm not sure if you'll survive. I wanted someone else to find me first. I didn't want to see you like this. I can feel your anger, Anya; but know this. Your death, should it come, will serve a purpose. I have everything I need to be the picture of innocence. No one will suspect my mutiny until it's too late to stop me." He said, pulling the syringe free. "Hold on to this for me, will you? Can't have anyone finding it." He continued, placing the syringe in her hands. At last, the anaesthetic took full hold, and Anya's world went black.

As his fellow Quarian slumped, Hyo'run clicked his tongue and sighed, sitting down. He had liked her so much. She was intelligent, capable and strong willed. After he took the ship, he was hoping he could convince her to stay with him. To be his pirate queen. Alas, it seemed that wouldn't be an option. So, he waited, and he watched her unconcious form. Then, the announcement he'd been waiting for came over the ship intercom. "Coming out of FTL travel to hit the relay iin five." Zero said, and Hyo'run stood, lifting Anya on to his shoulders. He carried her toward the rear of the ship and laid her ceremoniously in an escape pod, crossing her arms over her chest. "Keelah se'lai, Anya." The Quarian said, closing the escape pod and setting a launch timer. Five minutes later, the ship came out of Faster-Than-Light travel, and coasted toward the Mass Relay. By then, Hyo'run was back at his terminal, doctoring the audio to give it an unmistakably female tone.

"Heads up, folks. Hitting blue in thirty seconds." The Drell pilot spoke over the intercom as he drifted toward the monolithic prothean artifact. As he closed in, the relay picked up the coordinates he had entered and began rotating toward his destination.

_Warning: Escape pod ejected._

The message flashed in front of Zero's face just as the ancient structure began to pulse and glow blue. "Someone go check that out!" He shouted, and Wraze grunted in acknowledgement, heaving his massive bulk free from his seat and heading aft. As the Krogan began sprinting down the corridor, a familiar voice came over the intercom. "This is Martel, I'm at the pod. It's gone, but there's nothing else here. Get Anya down here to take a look, it must've been a mechanical failure." The ship's cook said, and Wraze shifted directions toward Engineering. As the ship's lead engineer, Anya would have known about any mechanical failures-and she would have chimed in immediately. It wasn't like her to have let something like that slip her notice. "Wraze. I've got something I think you need to hear. I think Anya was on that escape pod, and I don't think we should go after her." Hyo'run said and Wraze changed direction again, moving to the Communication Tech's office toward the ship's rear. "Hitting blue. Whatever it was, we can come back for it later. Right now, we've gotta get to Ilium to pick up Cap." Zero said, and the ship lurched as it jumped from one point of the galaxy to another.

_Charon's Ledger_ emerged near the relay and peeled off before jumping into FTL travel again. By now, Wraze, who was in command whenever both Victorie and Dox left the ship, had heard Hyo'run's recording, and had called everyone together in the ship's lounge, where the Quarian played it a second time for everyone to hear. "Bullshit." Zero said, crossing his arms and shaking his head in denial. "Anya wouldn't sell out Cap like that. Not for money, not for anything."

"Why not, Zero? Quarians aren't exactly the most trustworthy species in the galaxy." Brian Martel said, chiming in.

"Watch it, Martel. That's me you're talking about, too." Came Hyo'run's voice.

"No, you guys don't know her like I do. She was a sweet kid, and the Cap did something no one else would. Cap gave her a home. She'd practically changed her name to 'vas Charon's Ledger'."

"I never trusted her," Wraze said, breaking up the argument. Everyone turned to look at the imposing Krogan, knowing that even if he wasn't next in command, he could kill any objectors in a moment's notice, "and even if I did, the evidence is right here. The message sounds like her, and she's gone. She fooled you, Z. She fooled all of us." He finished, but Zero shook his head again and stood up, making to leave. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Martel asked, and the Drell didn't even bother to look over his shoulder as he left. "Someone's gotta fly this thing." He added in parting, grabbing a bottle of Human rum in parting. "What's he so mad about?" Hyo'run asked. As the newest member of the crew, he knew very little about the dynamic between the crew members. "The Drell came with Anya. Victorie just wanted Zero, at first, after seeing him fly, but he refused to sign on without her. No matter how much money Cap waved in his face, he wouldn't go without her. She took Martel's job, actually. He got bumped down to cook." Wraze explained, looking at the human crew member smugly. "I didn't get bumped down, I retired." Brian explained, mirroring the Krogan's gaze. "So they were close?" Hyo'run asked, completely ignoring the jab Wraze had took at the resident chef. "None of us really know just how close, but yeah. They were friends, at the very least." Brian added, and Hyo'run nodded somberly. He, too, stood and left the lounge, moving toward the cockpit, leaving Brian and Wraze alone. "You know she's a better engineer than you, right?" Wraze asked, and Martel grinned. "Yeah, but she can't cook like me, though. None of you can. Keep talkin' shit, and you're gonna find yourself all types of malnourished. I'll just forget everything I learned about Krogan cuisine. Shit's nasty anyway." Martel said knowingly as he, too, left the lounge. Wraze growled under his breath, not liking that a Human controlled his food. Angry, he stormed off to his berthing.

Zero was seated in the helmsman's seat, taking long drags of the rum straight from the bottle. "I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you." Hyo'run said as he entered the room. Zero looked back at him, took another swig and gestured toward the copilot's chair that Wraze or Dox usually occupied. Hyo'run took the seat gladly, but declined the rum that the Drell offered to him. "Do you trust anyone, Hyo?" Zero asked, taking another drink. "Of course. I trust you, and everyone else on the _Ledger_." The Quarian answered, gazing out the viewport toward the stars. "No, no, that's not what I mean. Wraze trusts me like that. He trusts me to have his back in a firefight, he trusts me to work toward his goals, because we're on the same side. I know full well he doesn't trust me, though, as another being. I don't know a damn thing about him except that he's a Krogan, he's Clan Urdnot, and his name is Wraze. He doesn't trust me enough to tell me anything else. I know you don't trust me, either. For what it's worth, I don't trust you, so I don't blame you. So, again, I'll ask, is there anyone you trust?" Zero replied, his words beginning to slur. "The Idenna. The machines of the ship I was born on. Not so much the people, but the ship itself. I trust them wholly." The Quarian said, glancing at Zero. "Alright, well imagine this: one day, you get told, by someone else, that the Idenna turned on the Quarians aboard. Imagine finding video footage of the ship's life support failing, and everyone on board dies. Would you believe it?" Zero asked, arching a scaled eyebrow. "Of course not. It's a ship."

"Then you don't understand how hard this is for me. Imagine you trust someone like you trust the Idenna. Picture that person turning on someone else you trust, and then picture them not taking you with them. I don't care whether or not she betrayed Cap. Victorie will make it out. I don't care what odds are facing her. If she was alone, I'd worry; but she's got Dox. There is no devotion in the world like those two have for eachother. They could be facing the end of the universe, and if they had each other, they wouldn't even care. They'd be happy, Hyo. Laughing and shit. That's what me and Anya had. She wouldn't do this without telling me. She wouldn't leave without giving me the chance to come with her." Zero said, closing his eyes. "You two were really close, then." Hyo said, and Zero nodded.

"The bar seat is uncomfortable. The taste of mint and rum lingers on my tongue. Two Batarians sit nearby. Eight eyes, glancing periodically at me all night long. One turns, a holdout pistol glistening in his palm; barrel pointed at me. He pulls the trigger. Fire in my gut, roasting me from within. I fall, and he repositions for a second shot. She's there, now, dance floor lighting reflecting off of her helmet. Two more gunshots. A Batarian screams, and he's next to me on the cold floor, crimson slipping from a hole in his skull. Her voice, indistinct. Metallic. The dead Batarian is dragged away by his friend, and I'm hoisted up, a cold hand around my waist. She carries me off, talking the whole time, but I can't understand a word. An unfamiliar walk to an unknown location, the dead flourescent lighting of Omega's corridors following at every turn. Bright, dim, bright, dim. Finally, I'm put down. It's soft, like a bed, and ice slips into my veins. The medi-gel works quick, and sleep takes me." Zero said, his voice monotone and his eyes flickering like a man deeply dreaming. Hyo'run watched, mystified, as the Drell relived what the Quarian assumed was the first time that Zero had met Anya. Reptilian eyes snapped open, and Zero turned to glare at his companion. "You shouldn't have heard that. I'd like you to leave." He said, and Hyo'run nodded before ducking out of the cockpit. As he left, he heard a deep sigh and a sentence spoken almost too low to hear:

"You said you wouldn't go anywhere."

Victorie lead the foursome toward the bridge, maintaining a brisk but careful pace. As per the Human's orders, the quartet remained dead silent during the trek, with nothing but the sound of atmospheric pumps and their own footsteps keeping them company. Before long, they reached their goal, standing outside of the bridge. Jarin waited for Victorie's signal, then opened the door. The portal slid open, and Victorie's small team rushed in, weapons held aloft.

Four gun barrels lay in wait on the other side, and the door slid shut behind them.

"You always find a way, don't you, Victorie?" One of the pirates said, smiling smugly. "Phin?" Victorie asked incredulously, almost dropping her pistol in recognition. "It's just Tharn now, sweetie. I dropped the first name a long time ago. About the time my old friend gave me this and left me for dead." The pirate captain spoke, pointing to a scar on his throat. "Honestly, I'm a little disappointed he isn't here. No matter, though; you'll do, as far as revenge is concerned." Tharn continued, shrugging. "You're lucky he isn't. Wraze doesn't like leaving a job unfinished." Victorie retorted, frowning.

"Well, if there was ever a bad job to leave undone, I'm it. Now, if you all would be so kind as to drop your weapons, this won't have to get ugly."

"Fuck y-" Victorie started to say, but was cutoff by the sound of a gunshot and a searing pain in her calf. She fell to the ground, grunting in muted agony, her pistol sliding from her grip as she began to favor the wound. "I'm sorry. I forgot the magic word, didn't I. _Please_ drop your weapons, so this won't have to get ugly. Dox looked down at Victorie, who nodded. Sighing, Dox dropped all of her weapons, and Jarin followed suit. "Are you kidding?" Eliri asked aloud, her grip tightening on her shotgun in defiance. "They've got us cold, Ellie. What else is there to do? Just put 'em down." Victorie said, the pain in her leg beginning to dull as her body pumped out the endorphin cocktail that would keep her from going into shock. Dox turned to look at Eliri and mimicked Victorie's nod, adding in a wink that the opposing pirates couldn't have seen. Unsure of the plan, but calmed knowing there was one, Eliri did as she was asked, carefully putting her shotgun on the floor.

For a moment, all eyes were on the Asari, and Dox blurred into action. The knife she had pulled on Pelta came out of her sleeve, glistening in the low light as she lunged to her left, burying her blade in a Batarian pirate's groin. As he howled in pain, she spun, using his body to shield herself from any gunfire. The other two of Tharn's crew turned and opened fire on the Turian, but the dying Batarian's kinetic barrier bought her the few extra seconds she needed. She left the knife where it was and rolled out toward Tharn, coming up in a savage uppercut that left him slumping in the pilot's seat.

As Dox dove into action, the air around Eliri pulsed blue and she yanked her arm backward, biotically pulling Tharn's pistol from his grasp. The weapon flew through the air, and slid to a stop in front of Victorie as Eliri triggered her biotics again, bringing up a barrier over Jarin. By the time this was over, at least one of them would need a doctor.

Victorie watched in incredulity as her Turian friend snapped into action; she was always surprised at how fast the taller being was capable of moving. Her awe quickly turned to fear and anger, however, when she heard the other two pirates open up. She watched the blue flicker of the Batarian's kinetic barrier, but found herself unable to help. A blur passed in front of her vision, and she heard the deafening crack of a shotgun being fired in a small room, followed by a scream of pure agony. _The hell? _She thought, turning to find a pirate holding his head together like it was going to fall apart. The sound of metal sliding on metal brought her attention to a pistol coasting towards her, and she jumped on it, lifting the pistol and squeezing the trigger as fast as she could. It took only a few shots to tear down the screaming pirates barrier, and only two more to silence him forever.

Jarin had dropped his pistol when Dox did, but he'd caught the wink that passed between the Turian and the Asari. He may not have been with this group for long, but he knew a signal when he saw one. His agile mind raced, and his eyes darted around the room. _Turian has a bulging sleeve. Possibly a holdout pistol, or some other weapon. She's making the first move. Asari placed weapon on the floor instead of dropping it. Pirates will be distracted. She's uncertain, however, and will move defensively. Tharn is a known factor, he'll aim for the human female. Asari will disarm him. This leaves the two on the right._ He thought, continuing to analyze the situation. _They seem twitchy, possibly on stimulants. They'll shoot the first thing that moves, meaning the Turian. All Turians have military training, not above using Batarian as a meat shield. His barriers won't last for long. My part: Asari will depend on her biotics, leaving her shotgun unattended. At this range, that weapon will break through barriers and body armor. One shot, one dead. Slow cycling rate will likely only allow one shot anyway. Have to incapacitate other with shock to nervous system while waiting for cooldown. Prove your worth, Jarin. Make father proud._ The Salarian mused, nodding silently to himself. As Dox jumped, Jarin bolted, tucking into a roll in front of Victorie. As he rolled, he picked up the shotgun, whirling as his feet came back underneath him. Holding the shotgun in his left hand, he stood and fired over Eliri's crouched form, the blast from the shotgun drilling into the flesh of one of the pirates on the right side of the room. He raised his right arm as his left went numb, and his omni-tool flared into brilliant orange light, firing flash fabricated darts into the final pirates forehead. The tiny electrodes slipped past the pirates shields and attached themselves to his skin. Upon impact, the darts unleashed massive voltage, essentially overloading the brains pain synapses. As the affected pirate began screaming, a pistol roared from below Jarin, and he glanced down to find Victorie administering the killing blow. _Counted her out. Hardier than I thought._ The Salarian thought, silently commending the Human.

In the aftermath, Dox clapped Jarin on the shoulder, her mandibles twitching in unspoken gratitude. "If you'd be so kind, Jarin, can you get Cap up on her feet?" The Turian asked, and Jarin nodded. A light slathering of medi-gel later, and Victorie was limping around. "Wake him up. I wanna know what he knows." She said, jerking her head towards Tharn. Dox nodded and pulled the pirate up into the pilot's seat, giving him a few three-fingered slaps until he at last snapped back into consciousness.

"Shit." Tharn said simply.

"Hi, Phineas." Victorie said, smiling wickedly before shooting him in his kneecap. The man howled in pain, glaring at the woman he'd shot mere minutes before. "Good, I have your attention. What the hell are you doing here?" Victorie asked, sitting down next to him in the copilot's chair. "A job, Victorie. What the hell do you think?" He asked through gritted teeth. Victorie clicked her tongue in disappointment and shot him in the shoulder. He yelled a second time, throwing his head back. Then, he began to laugh. "You know what? Fuck it, you're gonna kill me anyway. I'm not giving you shit." He said with a wide smile. "I might kill you. I might be fair and give you a headstart before I tell Wraze you're alive." Victorie retorted before shooting him in the hand. This time, he only grunted, losing his composure for a mere second. "Fair deal. But I'm not telling you everything until you let me go. Get me back on my ship, and I'll squeal, but until then you only get this; you've got a traitor on your crew." He said coldly, pausing for dramatic effect. "And that's all you get until I'm out of here."

"Patch him up, Doc, and get him onto his ship. Dox, go with him. Eliri, you stay with me. I wanna be here when he's able to hail us from his ship." Victorie said, leaning over to punch the intercom button. "_Karla_, this is Victorie Morgan speaking. The ship is back under our control. So, Pelta can come out of hiding, and the rest of you can return to your duties. If you impede the progress of Jarin or Dox, my friends, the amount of force they use is completely at their discretion. That is all." She finished, and leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes as Tharn was escorted out of the cockpit. Before long, Eliri spoke, shaking her out of near-sleep. "Incoming message. My guess is it's Tharn." The Asari said, and Victorie nodded, hitting the 'receive' button as she opened her eyes. "Hey, doll. Thanks for being a woman of your own word, now I'll return the favor. The traitor goes by the name Grasshopper. As far as I can tell, he runs a small time gang, and he's looking to take his operation to the stars. I guess he figured you were an easy target. I almost feel sorry for him now. Anyway, he sent me the information on Eliri in exchange for wiping out all of your friends, and bringing you to him. I'm supposed to meet him on Hagalaz in a few days time. I'll send him a message that says I'm coming, but getting there is on you. I don't know what he's gonna do with your crew, but I figure he's gonna have his boys come aboard on Ilium, so I'd still start there. I'm sorry about this, Victorie, but you know how it is out here. You find a payday, you take it, right? I know you'll send Wraze after me, and I don't blame you. I appreciate the head start, though. For what it's worth, I hope I never run into you again. You're a tough one, doll. Don't go changing." Tharn said, already plotting a course in the opposite direction. Victorie stared coldly ahead, refusing to register that someone had betrayed her.

"Vic?" Eliri asked, waving a hand in front of her face. "What's the move?"

"We go to Ilium, and we get you back to Eclipse. After that, it's not your problem. For now, though, we need Pelta to get his pilot up here."

"I can fly us for the time being. And Vic?" Eliri asked, waiting until the Human met her eyes. "I know how betrayal feels. It sucks. And I can put off getting back to Eclipse until you get back at this Grasshopper piece of shit. Until then, I'm with you."

"Thanks, Ellie. It means a lot. Now, I need a nap. This medi-gel is kicking my ass."


	5. Episode V

"Ilium flight control, this is _Palaveni Justice_, requesting permission to dock." Zero said, all traces of alcoholic stupor now missing from his speech. The bottle of rum, nearly finished, now sat between his thighs, kept out of view of any prying eyes. "Hold flight pattern, _Justice_. State your business." The flight controller replied, the portrait of an Asari who couldn't be more than ninety-five flashing to life on the ship's dashboard. "Just a bit of post re-fueling shore time for the crew of this vessel." Zero replied, taken aback by the abrupt question. Something going on planetside was clearly serious enough that security was screening incoming vessels. Suddenly glad he had taken the precaution of swapping the ship's transmitter post-Citadel, the Drell leaned back in his seat and fought the urge to drain the bottle. The seconds of silence from the other end were likely nothing more than the traffic controller checking the ship's stated ID with it's transponder, but they still shook him to the core. After committing a high profile breakout like they had, it was very likely that a Spectre was already on their trail. Once they picked up Cap, he'd have to go see one of the many ship body work companies that didn't ask questions to have the _Ledger_ repainted. "Permission granted, _Justice_, sorry about the wait. Proceed to bay Echo 7 for docking." The Asari at last spoke, breaking the dreadful silence. "Acknowledged, Ilium control. Proceeding." Zero finished, watching the image of the traffic controller wink out before letting out a breath he didn't notice he'd been holding. Shaking his head, the Drell began steering the ship with one hand, using the other to tilt the bottle of rum to his mouth.

Not a good start to the day.

The ship eased into the docking bay with a calm that belied the pilot's drunken stupor, coasting into the embrace of the magnetic couplers without a single issue. "Ladies and gentlemen...well, shit. Just gentlemen, I guess. Anyhow, we have docked at Ilium-go ahead and hang out on shore while we wait for Cap to get here and pick up the shipment. We are officially on leave." Zero said, narrowly finishing the sentence before the ship's main power shut down. Jumping out of his chair, the Drell raced to the cabin exit, only to find it wouldn't budge. "Damn failsafes..." He muttered, taking a moment to remember that it took a few seconds for auxiliary power to kick on. After the suspenseful wait at last ended, the door opened for the pilot and he raced out to find the source of the power outage. He came to a halt in front of the armory, deciding safe was better than sorry in this scenario: for all he knew, a Spectre was on their trail, and they were about to be boarded by the Ilium authorities. He, for one, had no desire to go to prison. Then again, with Anya gone, he didn't have much desire to do anything. With a tinge of recklessness behind his large, reptilian eyes, Zero grabbed a pistol and returned to the hallway, priming it as he moved. He turned the corner and found a barrel sitting a couple of meters down the hallway. In the low light, he couldn't really make out who it was that threatened his life, so he raised the pistol, prepared to die behind it. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Zero." The voice came, and with it, instant recognition.

"Hyo." Zero said simply, brandishing the pistol for a moment as he contemplated whether or not it was worth dying to kill this Quarian. A splitsecond after his name was muttered, the Quarian in question lowered the pistol and pulled the trigger, sending a single round into the abdomen of his reptilian adversary. "Let me finish." He spoke simply, raising his voice to drown out Rezran's grunt of surprised anguish. "All of the other crew members have been placed under lockdown in their rooms-now, fortunately, for you, I have no desire to kill any of you. I just need the ship. So, if you can wait until I've escorted all of you off of my ship to bleed out, I'm sure you can find adequate medical attention planetside." He said, turning to the nearby airlock door as if expecting something. Whistling to himself, he walked over to the console and triggered the opening mechanism. On the other side of the portal, a full boarding party armed to the teeth were waiting. "Welcome to the _Grasshopper's Ascension_, boys. Make yourselves at home. Oh, and someone take the trash out, please." He said, gesturing at Zero impatiently. Despite the hatred and pain dulling his senses, he stood, leaving the pistol on the floor. "I can let myself out, thank you." He grunted, favoring the bullet wound as he stumbled towards the airlock. The gang of mutineers shuffled out of his way, Hyo'run shrugging as the Drell exited to wait for the others. With labored breathing, Zero slumped down just outside of the airlock, closing his eyes and silently wishing for more rum.

The mutiny was carried out with surgical precision, the boarding party jumping from room to room, restraining the crew one by one and escorting them beyond the boundaries of the ship. Light, even breathing rose from every member of the _Ledger_, evidence of the fact that Hyo'run had pumped a sedative into the ventilation system prior to docking. Zero counted as all of his fellow crewmates came out, noticing that they had saved Wraze for last. Looking towards the ship, he smirked as a roar echoed from within. Hyo'run obviously hadn't counted on his knockout gas not taking full effect on the Krogan warrior. After several seconds of muted gunfire and thumps, Wraze was unceremoniously dumped on the walkway, orange leaking from a plethora of holes in his body. Shortly after, a mauled Quarian corpse joined him, this one laid down with a small semblance of respect. "Such a shame." Came Hyo'run's voice, causing Zero to look up. "I had hoped to do this with no bloodshed. I don't want any bad blood between us, you see. I really didn't want to kill him. He was funny, in a murderous kind of way. I suppose that chocks the kill count up to two, doesn't it? Well, on your side at least." He finished, attempting to wipe a rapidly drying orange stain from his environmental suit. At the drell's confused look, one could almost hear the Quarian smile from behind his helmet. "What, did you think I left her alive? I put her into anyphylactic shock before shipping her into the void. She's dead, Zero. Your friend is dead." Zero roared and made an attempt to lunge at the cocky mutineer, but his wound lit on fire in protest and he doubled over, coughing. Hyo'run laughed and turned away, making his way back into the ship's innards. "Best of luck, Zero. I mean it. I enjoyed our talk." He said, laughing aloud. The metallic laughter haunted the drunk's last few moment's of consciousness, leaving the boozy Drell incapable of watching his ship leave him and it's former crew stranded.

Anya woke with a sharp breath, snapping into consciousness with surprising alacrity. Finding nothing but darkness at the edge of her gaze, she began to panic, thinking perhaps she'd gone blind. She closed her eyes again and racked her memory in an attempt to recall what had happened before she'd left the realm of the awake. Her eyes snapped open again as the events came to her. _That bosh'tet poisoned me!_ She thought, grimacing behind her face mask. Recalling the layout of the _Ledger_'s escape pods, she flailed her arms about until her hand made contact with something rigid and metallic. "Console, starboard side." She said aloud, her voice piercing in the otherwise silence of the small craft. Sitting up, she began feeling around the cold object until she at last found a button on the side. As she depressed it, a holographic interface lit up, asking her if she would like to bring the pod out of power saving mode. She hovered her hand over the confirmation button and let out a sigh of relief as the entire cabin lit up. With a sigh, she activated her omni-tool to get a glimpse at her suit's monitoring system. Luckily, when Hyo had left her for dead, he hadn't done anything to ensure that she would stay out of the picture. Behind the semi-reflective visor that hid her face, Anya let a smirk creep over her face. There were a few things the Quarian was exceptional at: and one of them was holding a grudge. _Should have killed me when you had the chance. Now, you've made it personal. Now I get to hear your voice when you see a ghost. More importantly, I get to see your face when I tear open your visor, feed you a hamburger and watch you suffocate. This is far from over._ She thought, waving her thumb over the holographic interface to trigger her suits intraveneous nourishment system. With that done, she pressed the small escape pod's distress beacon and sat down with her legs crossed underneath her. There was a strong possibility of this being a very long trip._Root of one is one. Root of two is one-point four one four two one three five six two three seven. Root of three is one-point seven three two zero five zero eight zero seven five seven._ She thought, running through one of her preferred time consuming brain pathways. It kept her sharp, and entertained. The roots were new-usually she did squares, but once she knew them by heart it wasn't much fun anymore. Roots, however, were more difficult, and would more than likely keep her busy until someone caught wind of her call. Besides: it gave her time to let the rage fester.


	6. Episode VI

The _Karla _finished the rest of it's trip without another snag, reaching Ilium shortly after their run in with fellow pirate Phineas Tharn. "Ilium flight control, this is the _Karla_, requesting permission to dock." Jarin said, manning the communications in replace of the now dead Batarian who normally would have. "Just a minute, _Karla_. Verifying you on the manifest." Flight control responded. With Ilium being an economic paradise, they were no strangers to getting cargo freighters like Bor Pelta's. Dox, Eliri and Victorie Morgan had returned to their crates, the post-adrenaline crash leaving them more than willing to spend some time laying down and waiting for their retrieval. "_Karla_, welcome to Ilium: you've been bumped up in the docking queue, proceed to bay Charlie Four." The flight controller responded after a pregnant silence, to which Jarin immediately responded, nodding to the pilot who guided the ship delicately into it's bay. Once the ship had fully docked, the remaining crew members began unloading the crates in the belly of the freighter. Jarin weaved through the bustling life, making a beeline for the large grav-sled with the three outlaws laying on it. He activated it and led it towards the opening cargo doors, his head on a swivel as he searched for the_Ledger_ crew members who would be there to pick up their captain. As he exited, a man moved quickly off the wall, making his way to the Salarian. "They told me it would be a Drell." Jarin spoke defensively, tensing as the human approached. "My name's Brian Martell. The Drell you were expecting is in the hospital. I'm the cook from the _Ledger_. Come on, I don't have much time, I have to get them somewhere safe. Just hand over the remote." Brian iterated, holding his hand out impatiently. Jarin hesitated for just a moment before Pelta descended the ramp. "Wait, Earth-clan. Jarin will be accompanying you, to ensure that you are who you say you are. I don't leave jobs unfinished-especially when I haven't been paid in full." The Volus explained, his tirade intermittently interrupted by his respirator. "You'll have the rest by the next time you check your finances, Pelta. Forgive me, but I'm not exactly in a trusting mood right now."

"Nevertheless, I have a reputation to uphold. Jarin will accompany you." Pelta insisted, turning away at the end of his sentence.

"Pelta!" Martell shouted, beginning to advance up the ramp.

"You sounded very urgent, just a second ago. Stop arguing, and let's get them to the warehouse. We can discuss everything there. With less chance of something being overheard." Jarin said calmly, toying with the remote in what seemed like an absentminded manner. Brian stopped, turning on his heel to eye the Salarian. He glared for a second, then let out a heavy sigh. "Whatever, come on. You're right, let's just go." Martell stated, walking towards the privacy of Pelta's recieving warehouse. As soon as they'd breached the doors to the warehouse, a pistol virtually jumped into Jarin's grasp. "Far enough." Jarin spoke, watching as Martell froze. Wordlessly, he backpedaled to the door control and closed it, keeping the barrel pointed at Martell all the while. "What's your game, Salarian?" Brian spoke, raising his hands immediately.

Still not speaking, Jarin advanced to the sled.

"I'm talking to you!" Brian shouted, turning around slowly, not eager to find a bullet in his brain but wanting an answer.

Without uttering a sound, Jarin knocked three times on one of the crates. Realizing he wasn't going to recieve an answer from the suddenly mute alien, Martell simply gulped aloud and watched as the crate slipped open and a single, human hand reached out. Without taking his eyes off Martell, Jarin dropped a second pistol into the crate, and Victorie crawled out, unfolding the weapon as she did. "Cap, what the hell? You scared the piss out-"

"Don't sound too relieved, Martell," Victorie spoke quickly, cutting him off mid-sentence, "There are some things that need to be sorted out, and right now I don't know who I can trust. As of this moment, the entire _Ledger _is on probation. Think fast, and talk faster. Where's the rest of the crew?" She asked, sidestepping to put her body between the cook and Eliri's crate. "Cap, I-" Martell began, but was immediately stopped by a pistol barrel slamming into his temple. Jarin had moved so quickly and quietly, that Victorie was taken aback, even though she had ordered the response prior to their docking. Stifling her surprise, the _Ledger_'s displaced captain returned to business mode before her crew member was able to see anything but stars. "Unfortunately, that doesn't sound like a location. Again, where is the rest of the crew? By name. _Please_." She said, trying to sound urgent without sounding exasperated, which she was. "Hyo is dead. Zero is in the hospital. Wraze is pretty banged up, but he's walking around okay. Most importantly, though, Anya is missing. She ejected right before we hit the Widow relay. And the _Ledger_ is-"

"Gone, I know. A little birdy told me, right after he tried to kill me. What happened?"

"Honestly, Cap, I don't know. I fell asleep in my bunk, and I woke up on the walkway. Wraze told me we were boarded, but he was too groggy to identify anyone. They gassed us, apparently, before we docked and cleaned us out. Zero is the only one who might know what's going on. They shot him, which means he probably fought back long enough to get a look at whoever did it. Until he wakes up, though, we won't know for sure. My thoughts: it was Anya, Cap. She sent out a message about your whereabouts and the crew manifest of Pelta's ship before she dipped out in a pod."

"Thank you, Brian. I'm sorry about the way this has to go down, but you're gonna have a gun on you the whole time you lead us to this hospital. There are some things that don't check out." Victorie said, opening Dox and Eliri's crates. As they stepped out, Victorie turned back to face her cook. "Anya wouldn't shoot Zero, for example. Also, Wraze will think I was part of the mutiny, so I might need a shield. Nothing personal." She finished with a shrug. "Help him to his feet, Doc." She said dismissively, and Jarin moved to oblige. "So you can't trust me, but you trust this guy?"

"He saved my life, Brian: and until I _know_ otherwise, you may have been the one who put it in danger." Victorie replied, and Jarin nudged Brian, urging him forward. The Salarian human combo walked a bit ahead of the female trifecta, giving them room to talk without Martel being able to hear as they left the warehouse and began the trek to the hospital.

"Was it him?" Eliri asked as soon as the cook was out of earshot.

"Maybe," Dox said, "but I doubt it. He's been good to us for a while."

"Got a motive, though." Victorie interjected. "He lost his job to Anya, and he was never fond of Quarians to begin with. If this was his plan, he probably made a good amount of money off of the ship, and killed Hyo and Anya in the process. He's the only one without wounds, as far as I can tell. He could have ejected Anya himself. Normally, it would be Wraze who would meet me if something like this happened. The fact that he wasn't here has already set me on edge. We may be on our way into a trap he set up in case we managed to survive. Stay frosty, ladies: we aren't out of the woods yet." She finished, her voice cold and void of emotion. Dox nodded, and they continued to walk in silence.

Before long, they had reached the hospital that the Drell was allegedly recovering, and the procession stopped. "You have to stay out here, Martel. Jarin, keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't ankle as soon as we walk inside." Victorie ordered, to which Jarin nodded, leading his hostage over to a nearby bench where the two sat down. "You too, Eliri. Your face will show up on an identity scan before we can even find out what's going on."

"You're just going to leave me out here? On Ilium? _The planet I didn't even want to come to?_" Eliri hissed in response, keeping her voice low enough to not attract attention from passersby. Victorie was about to shrug and respond when Dox piped in. "I'll stay with her. No one will think twice about an Asari and her terminally ill Turian bride enjoying a walk through the hospital gardens." The loyal Turian spoke, winking at Eliri as the words left her mouth. In response, Eliri stared daggers at her, and Victorie watched as Dox's mandibles flexed in amusement. "Don't look at me like that, love. The doctor said I only have days left!" Dox exclaimed, grasping the Asari's hand.

"I really hate you sometimes."

"Aww, I love you too. Now come, love, walk with me. We have much to do and miles to go before I sleep." Dox replied cradling Eliri's hand in the crook of her arm. Victorie shook her head in exasperation before turning toward the hospital and breaking into a dead sprint. The doors slid open to her advance, and she stepped into the lobby looking around frantically. When her eyes locked on the administration counter and the human behind it who stood at her loud entrance, she ran towards it, placing her hands on the flat surface. "Can you help me?" She asked, her voice breaking. "I just got a message over the extranet that told me my boyfriend is in critical condition." She explained, the words coming out much faster than normal. "Hold on a second, breathe. What's his name?"

"H-Hans Gebelstiel." Victorie responded, stammering as tears began to break free from her eyes.

"Okay," The receptionist responded, typing the name into the system, "and your name?"

"Anya Kaliyah nar Iliya."

"Strange name for a human to have-it sounds Quarian." The receptionist said skeptically, looking up at the crying girl through her eyelashes.

"I'm um...adopted. From a Batarian 'orphanage'." Victorie said, leaving a pregnant pause before emphasizing the word at the end. The receptionist immediately nodded in understanding. Crisply, she went back to business, not wanting to pry into the girl's tale. It was widely known that a large number of slave operations in the galaxy, most of them run by Batarians, and while it was strange for a Quarian to acquire one, it wasn't unheard of. "Well, you are listed as an emergency contact. He's on the fourth floor, in the ICU."

"Th-thank you!" Victorie stammered before running toward the elevator and slamming on the fourth floor button. Once in the privacy of the elevator, she slipped a ceramic blade into her palm, keeping it hidden behind her fingers. If this was where she was going to meet her end, she wasn't going to do it unarmed. The elevator slid to a stop, and the doors opened wide. At the sound of the machine doors opening, a Krogan stood, glaring into it's depths. "Wraze." Victorie said, slowly stepping out.

"Anya." He responded, retrieving a crutch and leaning on it as a nurse walked by.

"They don't like it when I don't use it. They think I need it for some stupid reason." He added in response to Victorie's puzzled look. In answer, she shrugged and took a tentative step towards him. "I see you aren't trying to kill me yet." She whispered, subtly shifting her weight to her left leg.

"Yet isn't the proper word. It would have been if you never showed up, but you did. That alone is enough to tell me you weren't in on it."

"Is it?"

"Yes. If you set up your crew to die and came here to finish us off, you would have told them to make sure I was dead, and you would have told them how to do it. Seeing as how I'm still here, and you showed up, I know you weren't a part of what went down." Wraze said, shrugging his shoulders. The two stood in silence for a moment, Victorie stunned by Wraze's trust, and Wraze having said all he wanted to say before Victorie spoke again.

"How is he?" She asked, slipping the ceramic edge back into her sleeve.

"Not good, Morgan. He's been under for a while now. Honestly, I don't think they get too many Drell in here, so they're probably looking up extranet videos on their physiology."

"You think he'll pull through?"

"No telling. They won't let me past this lobby. They did, however, stop asking me to return to my room, and I only had to pick up one nurse to get them to leave me alone." The Krogan said with a smirk and a shrug.

"Don't ever change, Wraze."

"Count on it, Cap. You should go see him, since they'll more than likely let a grieving girlfriend in over a bloodthirsty Krogan." Wraze finished, sitting back down. Victorie nodded and proceeded forward, only having to ask for the Drell's room number once. She stepped into the room to find her pilot sleeping, a very organized assembly of wires and tubes weaving underneath a run of the mill hospital coat. She stood in the doorway for a moment before finally stepping forward and sitting down in the rooms only chair. She stared at the softly breathing reptile-man before letting her head fall into her hands with her eyes closed. For what seemed like forever, she sat in the small compartment with nothing to keep her company save the rhythmic, steady _beep_ of the heart monitor. "He's come to about seven times since he's been here, and he only gets one word out every time before his heart rate spikes and we have to sedate him again. Just your name, every time. He must love you quite a lot, Anya." Spoke a voice, causing Victorie to jump out of her chair and let the blade fall fully out of her sleeve into her waiting hand. To her surprise, the doctor who had entered showed no signs of alarm despite the weapon that had jumped seemingly out of nowhere. "For what it's worth, miss...would it be Kaliyah or Nar Iliya? I've never really known how to establish a Quarian honorific. Anyhow, as I was saying: for what it's worth, I suggest you two sit down and have a talk once he wakes. Gang life, while not uncommon here on Ilium, is very dangerous." The doctor said, crossing his arms. "Although, with that kind of reaction, I suppose that maybe you shouldn't be the one to talk to him about it." He finished, flashing a brilliant smile.

"I'm not in his gang, doctor; I just made the mistake of falling in love with him. It's hardened me enough to know that it's not like any of the criminal residents here to leave a loose end. So forgive me for being ready to defend him when they show up to finish the job." Victorie retorted, sliding the knife back to it's concealed home. At this, the doctor raised his hands in peace and started to walk out of the room. "I see," he said, his smile having grown wider with her spirited defense, "forgive my assumption. It just wouldn't be the first time I've seen two people in love and in a gang. Had a genuine Romeo and Juliet under my care a few weeks ago, if you'll forgive the archaic reference. Oh, would you look at that: he's coming to." The doctor said, dropping his hands as he pointed out the awakening Drell. Victorie's head snapped to her fallen comrade so fast that a few of her vertebrae popped in response, the normally quiet cracking filling the otherwise silent room. She rushed to his side, adamant on keeping the act alive. "Hans," She said simply, holding his hand, "you're awake."

"Cap?" The drell started to say, only to find Victorie's finger on his lips.

"Shh," she said, willing tears to her eyes once more, "you need to rest." At this, Zero promptly shut his mouth and began looking around the room.

"The door, love." He said quietly, and Victorie turned to fulfill his request. Upon rotating, she found that the doctor had already left, and the only thing that stood between the two people and privacy was an open door. Briskly, she walked over and shut the portal, turning back to face the wounded being again. "Word on the street is you're the only one that knows who I can trust, Zero."

"The word would be right. You can trust everyone on your crew."

"Everyone?"

"Minus, Hyo'run, yes."

"Are you sure? Martel says the traitor is Anya."

"Well then he's a fucking idiot!" Zero said, shooting up to a sitting position. An alarm notifying the nurses of his sudden movement began blaring, and Victorie moved to his side again. "None of them believed me, Cap, when Hyo showed up with the recording. Not even one, but I was right. Anya didn't do it. He killed her, Cap. Sent her into shock and then spaced her. Promise me you'll get him, Cap."

"I'll do everything I-"

"Promise me!" Zero shouted, now holding Victorie close by the collar of her shirt. In the silence that followed, the door finally slid open and a small team of nurses flooded the room. Quickly, they pushed the human woman out of the way, rushing to keep their patient from overexerting himself or reopening their sutures. "I know, I know. Make it quick. Get her out of here, while you're at it; I don't want her to see me like this." Zero said as the sedative was eased into his IV tube. "I promise, Hans. I swear." Victorie said, turning to leave with a nurse escort following her. When she made it out to the lobby, Wraze hauled himself up on his crutch, hobbling towards her. "Well?" He asked, the question tattooed on his eyes.

"He's gonna make it just fine. I have something to tell you, Wraze."

"Shoot."

"A few things, really. One: Anya wasn't behind the mutiny, it was Hyo'run. Two: I'm royally pissed at you for letting this happen under your command-you're gonna be iced for a few weeks, which I doubt you'll have a problem with. And this talk of jobs not done well has led me to number three: Phineas Tharn is alive. I gave him a little bit of a head start after he tried to kill me. I figured you'd be upset if I had iced him instead of you." Wraze sat quietly as his captain made her list, only reacting to the third bullet. It wasn't the first time he'd had his ass chewed, but that last one bothered him. He let out a low growl and dropped his crutch on the floor before storming toward the elevator. "I'll let you know when I'm done." He said in parting, ramming a fist into the lobby button. _No time for sentimentality._ Victorie thought, thumbing the 'down' button on an adjacent elevator. She returned to the first floor in silence, briskly leaving the building. Outside, she found a Martel leaning on Jarin's shoulder. "What...?" She asked, staring incredulously at the pair. "He tried to fight me. I introduced a few hundred extra volts to his nervous system. He'll be waking up shortly." Jarin explained, blinking twice and looking at Victorie as if the answer was obvious. Before she could respond to what might have been a slight over reaction on her newly acquired friend's part, she was distracted by approaching footsteps and a furious repetition of the word 'no'. Looking to her right, she saw Eliri approaching, with Dox not far behind. "How do I love thee; let me count the ways."

"No."

"Let us go, then, you and I, when the evening is spread out against the sky like a patient etherized on a table?"

"No."

"Soft! What light through yonder garden runs?"

"No!"

"My love is like to ice, and I to fire?"

"For the last time, no!"

"I know you wanna leave me, but I refuse to let you go!"

"_Dox!_"

"But I'm _dying_, Ellie! You don't even care, you never did! You know what? While I was on that Arcturus cruise, I met a guy who knows how to treat a lady! I bet _he'll_ hold me in his arms while I take my last breath! Unlike a certain _somebody _whose name I won't-oh, hey, Cap. We all done here?"

"Get her away from me before I liquify her with my mind." Eliri said, the shimmering aura around her lending validity to her words.

"Yeah, we're done. I've gotta go see a guy about a ship. Dox, you take Martel to the closest hotel. I'm sure when he wakes up, Jarin's face will be the last one he wants to see."

"Sure thing, Cap. Who was it?"

"Hyo. Hyo is the Grasshopper. He's waiting for Tharn, who won't be making it, even if he was still planning to. Wraze is out hunting. It's just us five, until Zero wakes up."

"He gonna make it?" Dox asked, slipping an arm underneath the unconscious human.

"Yeah, he'll be alright. He's pissed at everyone, though. Anya's dead." Victorie added, and Dox immediately sobered.

"When are we going after this bastard?" She replied, her voice raising barely above a whisper.

"As soon as we have a way to get to him, Dox. No one shuffles off one of the _Ledger_'s with impunity." Victorie answered, her voice seething with venom. At this, Dox nodded and the two old friends parted ways, leaving Eliri and Jarin without a clue who they were supposed to follow. The two newest additions looked at each other for a second before Jarin pulled a coin out of his pocket and put his hands behind his back. "Left or right? You find the coin, we follow Victorie. you get an empty hand, we go with Dox." Jarin said, leaving the decision to chance. "Didn't Vic say that this Martel guy wouldn't want to see you?"

"Yes, she did."

"Then we should get you _away_ from him, no?"

"Yes, we should."

"Come on, then." Eliri spoke, jerking her head in the direction of her marching savior. Jarin nodded, and the two took off in a jog to catch up.

Once they came abreast of her, they walked in silence for a few seconds before Eliri shattered the ice.

"Where to, Vic?"

"Off to meet Pelta's contact, Duro Killari." Victorie responded, not breaking her resolute stride. "Then we're going to go squish a bug." She added, the euphemism eliciting a smile from the Asari queenpin.


End file.
